Evan Bayh ain't out of this yet. Who knows in what capacity, however there was a story in the Indianapolis Star about 2 weeks ago (on a Saturday, you know, the slowest news day) stating a recent poll of Indiana residents said they are pretty much over Bush, and that they would vote Democratic if Bayh was on a ticket, which would technically make Indiana a Blue State for the first time since, like, 1972.

I'm voting for Ron Paul. No I'm not a diehard follower, I just know the guy will lose and then for the next 4 / 8 years I can tell anyone and everyone "if you would've voted for Ron Paul like me the NYSE/economy/USD/banks/Tetris/NASDAQ would not have crashed," and none will be the wiser.

Ron Paul has some very radical sympathizers. I highly recommend you check him out more thoroughly before you cast your lot in with him. It spooked me when i read Kucinich made a statement about making Paul his VP. That joke is not funny, nor is it a good gadfly remark.

Paul's stance on no government is not really going to work regardless. We need some kind of bureaucracy to create red tape regulations for the corporations, even if right now, they are working hand in hand. Norquist loves Ron Paul. That's a very bad thing indeed.

I used to bet on martial law and suspended elections. Now it looks like Bush wants out, to retire to cut brush. Maybe Giuliani will play Cheney's new hand puppet, but this newest scandal with the allocation of New York City's funds to hide his affairs might take hold. The election itself seems irrelevant. Both 2000 and 2004 were rigged.

I'd rather see Obama than Clinton, as I'm a little disturbed by the subtle affirmations of Clinton from the other side and the party that she's the one they can beat. I see the incumbents wanting most a President willing to tip the boat the least, and of the two of the them, Obama seems more likely to upset the status quo.

Seriously, I have no clue where my vote is going yet. I'm not happy with any of the field, regardless their label, and I've already grown tired of the handfuls of dirt starting to fly. Then again, I detest politics, really. The whole process just seems so...Fake? Pointless? I don't know...

Although, I get a kick out of watching Al Gore pretend to be Captain Planet...

It's a little bit pointless. Like, if you're expecting that someone good will get in and then things'll be better for people, then it's pointless.

The things that the President can really do, and the ways in which it matters who it is, are: how we're represented to the rest of the world; who gets appointed to which positions; how transparently the administration is run (and, by extension, how much dubious authority they take on); and whether or not troops are committed to police action somewhere.

That's about it. A good President won't repair the falling dollar, won't get us out of Iraq, won't create jobs, won't do any of the really interesting or progressive things you've been hoping for, because that's not the President's job. The President's job is to represent us and make appointments. Expecting that your vote could affect anything else is only setting yourself up for disappointment. If being represented well and having sane people who aren't trying to accelerate armageddon appointed to various offices appeals to you, then there's a reason to care. If you don't see a difference between the parties in those two categories, then sitting it out's probably for the best.

The president still has a lot of power to throw around beyond just making appointments and not making an ass of itself in front of foreign dignitaries; look at how the Congressional Republicans followed orders for the first four years of Bush? They were drafting bills according to a presidential agenda rather than according to what was in the interests of their constituency. I don't think that would happen with the Dems in the case of Hilary or Obama, but if either of them were to not veto every single progressive piece of legislation that came across the desk they'd be affecting a whole lot of things, up to and including the dollar, jobs and the armed forces.

I live in D.C. as well, so I learned to ride a horse. That way when the modern world comes crashing down I can steal a damn park police horse and get away. The environmental crisis is a more pressing concern.

"I live in D.C. as well, so I learned to ride a horse. "that makes it sound like living in the nations capital leads directly to learning to ride a horse as a means of escaping the coming collapse. doesn't seem like an A - B logical step...and yet I'm right there with you and wish I'd thought of it first. I figure a stolen car till I run out of gas, then a bike until I run out of tires or walking till I get to wherever it is that one goes...probably to my uncle's house, he's got a lot of guns and he's teaching my cousin to use the reloaders in the basement.

Also, I have no idea who to vote for... It's fairly moot since I'm probably voting in MA and the state'll go to the Democrats regardless of who I vote for.

The concept of MIKE FUCKING HUCKABEE reciting the Chuck Norris meme is hilarious as satire. But fo'real? It scares the shit out of me.

I guess the only good to come of this is that it's officially made Chuck Norris jokes decidely not funny. Now if Mitt Romney can do an ad where pirates, zombies, and a navel-contemplating questionnaire endorse school prayer, my facebook account might stop being so useless.

Chuck Norris. Oh god, and by god I am not, in any way, referring to Mr. Norris...

Anyway, I hope the president is a little more important than simply being our mascot and handing his buddies government positions. I mean, isn't this person supposed to be our commander-in-chief? Doesn't he have that dude with the briefcase and the little red button inside following him around everywhere? Then again, maybe he is just a glorified mascot. It would explain his upbeat attitude in the midst of all the other crap...

The feelings I have towards politics are more general, I guess. I vote, as it's my right and, I believe at least, my responsibility. That said, a majority of the time I don't feel it matters one way or the other. Hopefully I'm wrong about that, but I can't change how disillusioned I feel with our country's political landscape. I don't feel these people truly represent myself, or anyone I know for that matter, or know what it's like for the rest of us. It's as if there's some elite ruling class from which our representatives are selected, and every four years they pretend to know what we're going through, how we truly feel, and what's best for us. Then, several are chosen for various positions and that's that until the dance begins again. They might as well all be Martians...

Maybe local government isn't that way (though in some circles it is), but watching the events of the main stage is much like watching another television program. Odd characters? Check. Intrigue? Check. Relationship issues? Check. Heck, even sexual hijinks and scandals are thrown into the mix. The bit leading up to the finale can run a bit stale, but the ending never disappoints, whether it's shrouded in controversy or not.

Honestly, I hope all my issues with the way the system works are just that, my issues. Hopefully, everything works as directed, or at least the best it can, and the people involved are sincere and really want to do all they can in service to those they wish to represent.

I just hope they realize some of us feel out of the loop, or that we can't even see the loop, and they'll work to show us something to give us all a little hope that the system isn't just smoke and mirrors. I'd like to think my vote makes a difference somewhere down the line...

No, it matters, because regardless of whether or not they're a ruling elite, or if they truly represent you, or if they know what it's like for ordinary people, they'll be making appointments and representing us to the world. They have other responsibilities, and they do other things - but none of them will be what you want. There is no ideal president who will fix what ails you. Not Ron Paul, not Ralph Nader, not Dennis Kucinich, certainly not Giuliani or Obama or Clinton or Romney. Basing your decision on who to vote for (or whether to vote) on whether or not they'll represent how you truly feel, or if they know what it's like to not be part of some ruling elite, is a sucker's game. There isn't anyone who would make you happy there.

If the question is "why vote", the answer is appointments and how you're represented to the rest of the world. Don't cast a vote for President expecting sweeping change or someone who will accurately bring your views and causes into their policy decisions, because that's not what the President is supposed to do. The President has lots of jobs and lots of authority and lots of responsibility, but the only ways in which one is really all that different from another is in who they appoint and how they represent us to the world at large.